Combat Evolved
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: <html><head></head>Even in the midst of an all out war, there is a time and place for mercy. (A silly little one-shot set in a Halo-like universe.)</html>


**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to Andrew Hussie, inspired by Bungie's Halo universe.

Warnings blared in her ears and she groaned, reorienting herself as she slowly regained consciousness. A great weight was pressing against her, keeping her pinned to the ground, but it luckily didn't impede her ability to breathe. One of the few times she was thankful for the oppressive armor.

Opening her eyes, Rose Lalonde tried to process the events leading up to her current predicament- she was walking on C deck of the battleship LOLAR, going to the hangar to prepare for the upcoming mission. They had just dropped out of warp to liberate one of the alien held Human colonies on a planet she forgot the name of when the alarms began ringing; apparently, the Trolls were expecting them. Things get fuzzy after that.

Groaning with effort, Rose pushed, enhanced muscles and augmented armor working in tandem to move the massive sheet of metal covering her. As soon as the metal was displaced, Rose was standing, shutting off the warnings as she acknowledged them; her suit had sustained superficial damage in the crash landing, shields and locking mechanisms protecting her body but sustaining severe damage in the process.

Rolling her shoulders and neck, Rose considered her options. She could seek shelter, activate her suit's distress beacon, and wait for reinforcements, which seemed the safest course, but that also left her stranded for an indeterminable amount of time. Then again, she could try to locate and subsequently hijack one of the Troll transport ships, but that was a bit reckless and, frankly, something she'd already accomplished once or twice during the war. Or, she could proceed with the mission as planned. When she succeeded, she could report the destruction of the LOLAR and hail the nearest cruiser to pick her up and take her back to the heart of the conflict. Between the three, her choice was no contest.

Unfortunately, she'd lost her battle rifle sometime between the alarms going off and waking up, leaving her with only her pistol and her specially designed 'needles' as reliable weapons. Combine that with the damage done to her armor- a few deep scratches and several smaller ones, not all fresh, marring the once pristine lavender colored metal- and the loss of friendly units to offer assistance against at least four hundred Trolls- essentially, it was a standard suicide mission.

Inside her helmet, she merely smirked. The term 'suicide mission' lost its weight when she returned from her twenty-fifth with nothing but a few broken bones and a nasty burn. Besides, she was trained specifically to deal with impossible odds such as these; all Betas were.

Alphas too, for that matter, but she preferred not to think about them.

Turning her attention to her display, Rose turned towards the Human colony, drawing her pistol from its resting place at her right hip. A quick check revealed the weapon had survived the landing- if it could be called that- and she pulled the slide back while starting towards the colony.

After running across the still smoldering wreckage a few hundred meters, a proximity alarm beeped, highlighting multiple targets about five hundred meters to her eleven o'clock. It was most likely a Troll patrol, she decided, tasked with eradicating anyone who survived and scavenging anything useful. Altering her course slightly, Rose ran through the flaming wreckage of the LOLAR, keeping part of her attention on her radar and the rest of it on moving. The broken bits of the ship constituted excellent cover but poor footing, slowing her progress, though not nearly as much as her targets'. Then again, they probably had no clue she was bearing down on them like a purple angel of death, either. At about a hundred meters out, she crouched down atop a slanted, shattered length of jutting hull, peering over the edge.

There were fifteen of them, all low blood grunts by the looks of it, picking their way through the wreckage while growling at each other in their own language. Usually, groups of low bloods were commanded by at least one high blood- the hierarchy of the Trolls was somehow based on blood color, according to SBURB Research and Development Department, but they shared whatever they knew with the Betas, mostly due to being products of the R and D Department themselves- but Rose couldn't see one near and nothing was showing up as out of the ordinary on her radar.

She could leave the patrol well enough alone, try to sneak around them and continue to the colony, but it would probably just prolong the inevitable. Better to deal with the Trolls as she encountered them than waiting until she was completely surrounded. She might even be able to use one of their weapons to add to her own arsenal though she doubted the low bloods would have anything of use to her. Tapping her forearm to ensure her kinetic shield was back online, Rose thought up a hasty plan of attack and surged forward, jumping off the hull piece and into the middle of the low blood patrol.

As a general rule, the lower the blood color on whatever scale the Trolls used, the less armor the Troll wore. Seeing as most of this group was either brown or red, only their chests were covered in reliable armor, poorly patched together helmets that accommodated their unique candy corn colored horns often leaving their heads partially unprotected.

That was all well and good by Rose, seeing as her first four shots dropped four targets instantly, red and brown blood splattering the surrounding wreckage as their bodies collapsed lifelessly. In the next moment, she hit the ground in a crouch as those still standing realized they were under attack, swinging whatever mass issued weapon they managed to grab her way. But she was already squeezing off her two remaining shots, dropping the magazine and rolling away before the spot she previously occupied erupted in a haze of bright green.

Six down, nine to go, she mentally noted, splashes of bright green energy painting a trail behind her as she sprinted straight towards the furthest target. Pulling the slide back, Rose racked a round just before she reached her target, jumping clear over the fool as he tried to fire at her. She fetched up against a hunk of steel that probably used to be part of the medical bay as the crossfire she'd set up killed not only the target she'd charged at but some poor Troll who had thought to chase her and caught a face full of energy for his ingenuity.

Rolling to her right the moment she hit the ground, Rose ran in a circle around the remaining Trolls, drawing their fire after her and counting the shots. The cannons they were using only had five rounds before the magazine was expended and the Trolls hadn't thought to stagger their fire; predictably, they all ran out of ammo at the same time, leaving Rose just enough time to turn and line her shots up.

Six rounds and six targets down, leaving one terrified brown blood frantically trying to reload his weapon as his comrades dropped like flies around him.

Rather than reload her pistol, Rose returned it to her hip, pulling free one of her 'needles' in its stead as she charged forward. Designed by reverse engineering Troll technology, green energy arched around the metallic frame, turning a harmless length of metal into a deadly weapon, one she planned to sink into the Trolls neck.

She was maybe two steps from doing so when her proximity alarm blared frantically and she registered all too late that a Troll managed to elude her radar. She couldn't get a proper look before it barreled into her side, throwing her quite effectively off course and almost fifty meters away. Her back met metal with enough force to topple the precariously positioned piece of wreckage, not to mention break her kinetic shield, and Rose cursed herself for not paying closer attention to her surroundings.

Dave had chastised her about it numerous times; she always got too focused on what was directly ahead of her in the heat of the moment. She wasn't sure which burned worse: the pain flaring through her body at the abrupt attack or the knowledge that Dave was right about something.

When she regained her feet, Rose drew her other needle and crouched behind a piece of wreckage, watching her radar closely as her shield recharged. She could see one target advancing slowly on her position, presumably the low blood, but whatever hit her wasn't registering at all for some reason. Trolls were not fans of stealth; they used numbers to overwhelm and brute strength when their weapons failed.

After a few moments, she made visual contact and frowned.

Betas were tall as a rule, the enhancement process stretching their frames beyond normal human proportions, and their armor was designed to not impede their mobility. From what they'd seen, Trolls seemed approximately the same size as Humans and designed their armors similarly. This Troll, on the other hand, tossed those conventions out the proverbial window, which ultimately meant this Troll was just as augmented as she was, comparatively speaking. Rose guessed it stood taller than her by a good two feet, its armor thick, giving it the appearance of a mobile mountain.

It didn't help that the shade of the armor was a deep jade green, a color Rose had never so much as read about in regarding to troops fielded by the Trolls. There were reports of lighter green and blue green colors, but those Trolls were lightly armored and excelled at close combat; this Troll was built like a tank, completely encased in armor, even its horns, not an inch of slate grey skin showing. The forearms and lower legs were longer too, possibly another enhancement to give the Troll a wider reach and a higher vantage point, seeing as even the joint pieces were well protecting to the point of limiting movement.

Its helmet- which lacked any sort of distinctive features besides massive metallic horns- moved side-to-side, apparently unable to detect Rose via other means. It shifted its stance, turning slightly to the low blood following close behind it. An external speaker activated as the Troll said something and Rose had the distinct impression she- Rose amended in her head after hearing the feminine voice- was ordering the low blood to retreat. There was hesitation in the low blood- strange, considering when under the traditional blue and purple high bloods, the low bloods would break ranks and flee if the battle looked too dire- but a few more insistent commands from the armored Troll and the low blood ran away, perhaps to find another patrol and bring reinforcements.

Rose grimaced. If there was more than one of these things patrolling the wreckage, she was in trouble without a better arsenal at her disposal. From what she could recall of the schematic she'd glanced at, there was a depot that would suit her needs just inside the colony walls.

But first, she would have to get past this thing.

The Troll produced what appeared to be- and Rose couldn't even believe she was seeing it- an honest to God chainsaw, with a red chaises and hooked horns instead of conventional teeth along the blade, matching the single hooked horn mounted on the helmet.

Then it looked right where she was crouched and took a defensive stance, the chainsaw's engine roaring a few times before quieting to an idle growl. If she didn't miss her guess, she was being challenged.

So she hadn't fooled it. Rose briefly considered her options before stepping out into view, her needles clenched in both hands. She had to get past that thing one way or another. She was never one to back down from a challenge anyway.

Picking her way through the wreckage, Rose advanced slowly, aware the Troll was watching her every move. When she was about ten meters away, she stopped and assumed a stance of her own, one hand held out in front of her, pointing her energized needle at the Troll, while the other remained by her side. There was a few moments' hesitance, like a silent countdown, before Rose smirked. It wasn't much, but her needles could build the green energy into a projectile if she had enough time to let it charge and it tended to pierce even high blood armor with relative ease. Seeing as the Troll wasn't keen on beginning their dance, Rose she fired the pent up energy dead center into the Troll's chest piece.

It didn't even make the Troll flinch, a lighter green aura flickering briefly around the Troll's armor as the energy spike dissipated into nothing. Trolls had never used shielding of any type before; it _was_ one of the few advantages Humans had over their alien enemies.

Well.

So much for that.

Rose threw herself aside as the Troll charged, the roaring chainsaw passing far, far too close for comfort as it easily cleaved through the destroyed hull acting as their battle ground. No doubt those teeth could rip through even her resilient armor and shielding, so close quarters was definitely a bad idea. At the same time, if her energy spike couldn't pierce the shielding, long range fighting wasn't looking so promising either.

As her mind raced to assemble some sort of strategy, her body moved of its own accord, dodging the chainsaw's swings and keeping as much distance between them as possible, however laughably slight it was. With every leap aside, the Troll took two steps and was upon her again, like a jade avalanche she just couldn't escape. It was also tiring in the worst way, gaining her nothing towards her goal while using her energy.

Unable to stay on the defensive much longer, Rose took a chance, ducked the chainsaw's swing and lunged forward and low, barely sliding through the Troll's legs. Jumping up, Rose twisted around and jammed both needles down into the Troll's back in an effort to break through the Troll's shield. By some strange stroke of luck- either the shield only blocked energy attacks or whoever designed the armor didn't anticipate someone actually getting around the thing- the tips of her needles piercing the jade green armor.

It didn't go deep enough though. The Troll lurched forward and growled in pain, reaching behind with her left hand and grabbing Rose by the helmet. Yanking her needles out of the Troll's back just I time, Rose was bodily thrown over the Troll's shoulder, her fall broken once again with crumbling wreckage.

Her shield broke on impact, the alert a low repetitive beep she could almost ignore like the tingling feeling running along her limbs as she scrambled to her feet. Adrenaline was a wonderful thing, she ruefully thought, focusing on her enemy and shoving all else aside. The Troll was coming at her, chainsaw poised to swing, and she had to figure out another way around her without getting cleaved in two.

Bereft of other options, Rose jumped, this time at the charging Troll. Her body fetched up against the Troll's left arm and shoulder as it prepared to swing, her other arm fighting for purchase on the smooth armor as she drove the needle's point at the Troll's neck. The light green aura flickered, absorbing part of the blow, but Rose could see the armor begin to disintegrate and weaken before she was thrown away.

Landing in a crouch, Rose quickly brought up both needles, crossed over one another, and surged upward to catch the downward swing of the Troll's chainsaw. Though the motor idly growled, the teeth themselves caught, unable to break through the metal of her needles. Their energy had flickered out upon being met with each other, some sort of safety mechanism she hadn't fully deciphered, leaving metal to grate against metal as strength met strength. The broken hull below her bent as her suit's joints locked into place to prevent her from folding in on herself like an origami crane.

Warnings blared, her shields were still down, and her suit could only augment her own enhanced strength so much as she tried to push the Troll away before it gave out completely.

Dave firmly believed every Beta came across an 'oh fuck' moment at least once during their tenure of service. Rose had always scoffed at the notion; they were designed and trained to adapt to every situation, to take control, to fight, and to win. That was the entire intent of creating super soldiers, after all. Only now did she fully understand her pseudo-brother's words and, though far less eloquent than she would prefer, she couldn't help but resonate with the sentiment.

This was her 'oh fuck' moment.

If there was any similarity between Human and Troll mannerisms, the Troll seemed surprised she'd managed to meet the blow, helmet tilting to the side slightly. It then occurred to Rose that the Troll she faced hadn't exactly been trying earlier as it exerted itself and Rose had to walk backwards just to keep from being crushed, forcing her armor to disengage her locked joints. She could feel sweat pouring from her forehead as she fought to keep the chainsaw from descending upon her and her feet under her, all the while being pressed back by the advancing Troll.

Strange, though- the Troll was pushing against her as if to gauge her strength and endurance rather than pushing down to try and kill her. Not that she thought for a second the Troll wasn't trying to kill her; it just wasn't trying very hard. Rose considered that a lucky break in her favor and opted not to analyze it at the moment in favor of more pressing concerns.

No pun intended.

With her next step backwards, Rose twisted and pushed, freeing herself from the losing battle and sending the Troll staggering a few steps away in the process. She lunged forward, trying to sink a needle into the Troll's vulnerable backside but found her hand caught in a metal fist, the energy of her needle crackling as it glanced off the Troll's shielding. Her other fist- which she had subconsciously thrown in an effort to free herself- was caught as well, and once again they were locked in a test of strength, the chainsaw's idle engine dying as it dropped to the ground, discarded by its user.

Rose was no fool; in a contest of pure strength, the Betas matched most of the high bloods they typically met on the battlefield. Given this Troll was stronger than the typical highblood- either naturally or by other means- and encased in heavy armor, she had no chance of winning this particular battle. It should've been over already, really- at the very least, her hands should've been crushed- but for whatever reason the Troll was waiting and Rose was using the time wisely to gulp down as much air as she could and figure a way out of this very, very bad situation.

There was a flex, a test to see if she was still paying attention, and Rose almost growled in annoyance as she met force with force. The Troll was toying with her, she was sure of it, but all she could do was wait until the next move. As the Troll tried to push against her, Rose pulled instead, bringing her head forward in what she had to admit was probably the most impressive headbutt of the war. Jade would've been proud, had the other Beta seen it.

Although the superficial damage to the Troll's armor was minimal at best, it startled her at the very least, one hand loosening its grip just enough for Rose to wretch it free and lash at the weakened spot on the Troll's neck.

The distraction didn't last nearly as long as she needed and she scored only a glancing hit, Rose gritting her teeth as the Troll twisted and hurled her through the air by her arm. She crashed into more metal wreckage and, without her kinetic shielding to protect her, her suit reached its limit for putting up with being tossed around like a damn rag doll, helmet cracking as the right half of her visor shattered. The locking mechanism activated to protect her body from further damage at the expense of her mobility and the damage sustained through the landing and fight was too much for the mechanism to automatically disengage once she'd come to rest. Rose could only stare at the sky above, blinking away sweat and blood from several tiny cuts now surrounding her eye, as every muscle tried to fight against her armor to no avail, the suit keeping her locked in place.

In the trembling of the metal beneath her, Rose could feel the Troll approach, her radar still woefully devoid of any indicators. As the towering figure came into view, Rose felt her lips quirk into a self-depreciating smirk.

Some super soldier she was.

For her part, the Troll seemed confused, helmet tilting to the side as she regarded her unmoving opponent, frozen in a strange position that looked neither comfortable nor natural. To Rose's mortification, it actually kicked her lightly, like a child might poke at an animal with a stick to see if it was still alive.

For a woman frozen in place with only one eye visible, Rose directed the absolute coldest glare she could muster at the Troll.

It just tilted its head to the other side.

Then, a flare of energy appeared high in the sky overhead, the telltale arc revealing at least one Troll artillery unit that shouldn't have been on such a remote colony had locked on her approximate location. The Troll seemed to notice the incoming blast as well, helmet tilting up briefly before looking back down at Rose.

If Rose had to bet, she would've guessed the Troll was disappointed she couldn't finish Rose off herself. Luckily, Rose was in no position to bet, and therefore lost nothing when the Troll instead bent down and grabbed one of Rose's frozen arms, twisted, and hurled her like a discus.

Her 'flight path,' if it could be called such, was horribly disorienting, a mish-mash of sky, the incoming energy blast, the Troll, and wreckage that would've made her puke once upon a time. Hardened as she was by several orbital drops, Rose merely forced her stomach to cooperate and waited it out, finding herself skidding along a length of broken hull until she came to a stop against another piece of wreckage, ironically propped up so she could see in the direction she was thrown from- a perfect view of the incoming ball of energy and the Troll trying to escape it.

The blinding light of the green energy prompted what remained of her helmet's visor to darken, protecting her eye while the other shut tight against the flare. Frozen as she was, Rose merely watched as the energy splashed against the remnants of the LOLAR, reducing the impact site to nothingness while generating a kinetic force that violently shoved away whatever wasn't disintegrated, the Troll included.

Pitching forward uncontrollably and propelled by the blast, the armored Troll rammed head first into a jutting piece of hull, toppling it over and landing atop the wreckage completely motionless, sprawled out like a metallic, jade green bear rug only a few meters from Rose.

Her first instinct was to struggle, to get upright, to go to the Troll and see if it was still alive, but she still couldn't move. Left with nothing to do but think, Rose considered how slow the Troll had moved. Obviously the heavy armor sacrificed mobility for protection. So, why had the Troll hesitated in retreating once it noticed the incoming blast? It might've cleared the area, had it not thrown her to safety first. Trolls were all about excessive force and overkill, so it wasn't like the Troll was really risking her life to settle some petty warrior's pride.

Almost a minute had passed since the blast landed and the Troll hadn't moved; it was likely unconscious or dead. That worried her. Not because she was concerned it would awaken and kill her. Worst case scenario, more Trolls showed up and killed her while she was helplessly trapped in her own armor. In fact, most scenarios at this point ended with her death, so that was sort of a minor thing.

However, even after admitting to herself she wasn't too concerned about it killing her, she still was worried about the Troll… and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was a sort of respect between two opponents- even high bloods rarely provided her a challenge- or maybe it was just the knowledge the Troll had been toying with her the whole time that somehow tricked her into wanting the Troll to live for the promise of a rematch.

Or maybe she was being neurotic for the lack of something more productive to do.

"Beta One-Two-Six, this is Pelican Hotel Sierra One-One-Seven." The transmission crackled in her ears, intruding on her thoughts. "Beta One-Two-Six-"

"Fuck that shit, man, get the hell off the net. Rose, it's Dave, answer or I'll beat the shit out of you when I find you."

Despite her gratefulness to hear his voice, Rose winced. Of all the people to see her like this… "I'm here, Dave."

"Holy shit, she speaks a mere three words instead of three paragraphs, it's like I died and went to Heaven during Quiet Weogoth Hour, lucky me. Seriously, Rose, usually when you hear my angelic voice, you can't help but fill my ear with a three minute long sitrep that amounts to 'hi Dave, I'm alive, now get down here and help me waste some Trolls' and now, all I'm getting is three words? Don't make me go white knight up in here, pull my badass sword free of its sheath to go slay these punk asses that have dared to besmirch my dearest blood."

Rose smiled fondly despite herself, just like she did every time her pseudo-brother launched into an anxiety driven word vomit. "Very well, then. Hi Dave, I'm alive, now please get down here. Oh, and do take care; there's a few Trolls in the area."

"Well no shit, Rose, I can see a whole battery of those damned tank things sitting all pretty just past the mess that was the LOLAR, each one with its own retinue of Trolls like ring around the damned posey. Seriously, it's like they said 'well shit, we shot down a Human ship, let's send everyone and their twice removed second cousin out there to pick apart the remains like a pack of vultures descending upon the already fucking bleached skeleton of a lizard. Fuck that's a lot of Trolls. And you were going to barrel into that head first, weren't you?"

Rose tried deactivating the locking mechanism on her suit again to no avail as Dave droned on, letting him have his necessary moment of extended metaphor before smoothly cutting in. "Well, seeing as my suit is currently locked, I'm afraid I won't be able to barrel anywhere-"

"You could do a barrel roll."

"That was a horrible joke and I am quite sincerely in need of someone's assistance if I'm to be capable of moving any time soon, much less complete this mission." She paused. "I do hope you brought more than a pelican down here to check on me."

"Oh, you have no idea." She could practically hear the smirk in his voice as the transmission came through clearer than before. "Not too long after y'all warped, we realized that the Department of Intelligence is the most ironically named department around, so we hurried after y'all and brought a lot of friends."

"Define a lot for me please, seeing as I have nothing but time at the moment."

"The LOHAC, LOWAS, and LOFAF all made the warp. It's a regular Beta Bonanza up on this back water planet, Rose. So, in short, sorry we're late to your totally swag party but I brought some vodka to spike the punch."

High above, entering the atmosphere as several tiny dots the human eye could barely pick out- she probably wouldn't have noticed them without the Friendly Forces tags appearing on her broken visor- with a much larger dot not too far behind were a full squadron of pelicans and one of the battleships Dave mentioned.

"Dave, never say 'swag' again; it's perhaps one of the least eloquent and archaic examples of degradation to the language-"

They were coming in way too fast for a safe planetary entry but, then again, she was a bit too embarrassingly grateful to nitpick their tactics.

"No, no, fuck no, you do not get to talk to me about the quote unquote degradation of the language with the way the Alphas speak, Rose, no, have you even _heard_ Jake? It's like I was transported back to the time when black and white moving pictures were all the rage being hailed as a masterful application of technological innovation so no, I stand by my previous statement, fuck you Rose."

While the majority of in the incoming force moved beyond her field of view, one vessel- she could only assume which- descended towards her, drawing tight circles as it recklessly descended upon her. "Leaving the matter of communication aside, is there anyone qualified to remotely deactivate the locking mechanism on my suit? Being frozen in place in a warzone most likely does not bode well for my continued existence."

"Geez, Rose, do I really come off as the type of guy who would travel an untold millions of light years away from home, bring all his buddies with all their shiny toys, into a warzone teeming with angry aliens, and leave his most aggravating, distantly related, and completely platonic friend in a frozen, helpless state _just _for shits and giggles?" The pelican turned sharply, leveling out its flight path and applying all its thrusters to slow its descent. "You know that's only a second Thursday of the month type of thing. Also, your armor's fucked."

"Thank you for the observation I might not have reached on my own," Rose drawled. "And here I thought everything was in perfect working order."

A moment later, her suit released, limbs falling to the ground suddenly as she regained control of her suit. Picking herself up, Rose put away her needles and readied her pistol, slapping a fresh magazine into the well and stalking closer to the motionless jade green armor.

The pelican was closing in, readying to pick her up but Rose's focus was on the Troll. She couldn't understand why the Troll had risked her life to save her. Granted, Troll artillery was notorious for disregarding the low bloods, but when a high blood was in the vicinity, firing rates lessened, if they didn't cease completely. It stood to reason the Troll knew the blast was coming before Rose did… so why throw her to safety?

Standing over the Troll, Rose felt her grip on her pistol relax. The portion of the armor near the Troll's neck she'd weakened previously had caved inwards, cutting the Troll's tough skin. Even now, jade green blood leaked from the wound, collecting in a pool beneath the armor. Lavender eyes scanned the Troll's back, the weak spot, before wandering back to the bleeding wound. If the blood loss didn't kill her- or hadn't already-, a full magazine in the back would, certainly. It would be easy.

It would be wrong.

Before she fully processed just what the Hell she was doing, Rose was knelt down by the Troll's head, pistol back on her hip while her hands busied themselves with applying a seal from her medpack to the wound. Ludicrous was the word for it… but she was already constructing the argument to defend her actions as she levered the Troll up, one of her arms as much around the Troll's thick waist as she could manage while the other kept a firm grip on a wrist she almost couldn't close her hand around, settling the attached arm around her neck.

Some niggling voice pointed out she would be in a choke-hold if the Troll woke up but she dismissed it, walking slowly but steadily towards the waypoint Dave had dropped and half dragging the Troll with her.

Sure enough, as she reached the point, the pelican was setting down the best it could in the wreckage, several Marines kneeling on the open drop door with their weapons at the ready as Dave walked down the middle in his ridiculously bright red armor.

"Didn't know you made a friend, Rose; and people think you're anti-social." She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to dignify that with a response. "Also, you look like shit."

"There should be what remains of a chainsaw twenty meters to your eleven o'clock. Could you make yourself useful and go get it?" Rose rolled her eyes, heaving herself and the Troll onto the door as Dave stepped off. The pelican swayed, grinding against the ground a bit as the pilot tried to adjust to the additional weight, and every Marine was watching her with wide eyes.

"Usually I'd say fuck no, but since you asked so kindly, I guess I can make an exception," her fellow Beta replied, a few Marines hesitantly following him while the others stared wide eyed at Rose.

Once inside the pelican, Rose carefully laid the Troll down on the ground, examining the seal. The blood loss had stopped, at least, but there was no way to tell if the Troll within the armor was alive or dead. It might've been better to just leave her among the wreckage after patching the wound, hope a patrol happened upon her, but it was too late to change her mind. Standing up, Rose turned to the nearest Marine.

"Are there extra weapons? My primary was lost in the crash."

"Uh, sure, Chief," the Marine replied, pushing past his fellows to reach a weapon rack against the pelican's wall.

Rose accepted the assault rifle with a shrug, mounting it on her back after checking to ensure it had a full magazine. It wasn't as precise as her battle rifle but it was better than nothing. As she did so, Dave stepped back onto the pelican, one nearly destroyed chainsaw in hand and his Designated Marksmanship Rifle in the other.

"I'm sure there's a fascinating tale you'll no doubt regale me with at some point in the future, probably when I'm trying to sleep or actually busy doing something other than saving your ass, but right now the only damn thing I want to know is… a fucking chainsaw are you serious?"

Rose regarded the bright red Beta. "Yes."

"Well, fuck. Alright, pilot, take us up to LOHAC," Dave sighed, shaking his head as the pelican lifted off and the drop door began closing.

Rose furrowed her brow, trying to leave the concern out of her voice. "We're not heading to the colony?"

"Rose," Dave sighed, shaking his head. "Harley and Egbert are playing army with the Trolls and probably having a ball with it. For now, we need to get your suit checked out and either repaired or replaced before sending you on a mission… plus, you know, you did just bring a damn Troll on board, and a monster of one at that, so that's a thing we're going to have to deal with now." His helmet turned to the left and right, the black visor impenetrable. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous, though, something about his shoulder and the way he stood. "Lalonde, something else is going on, too."

Rose frowned, noting Dave's voice now came from her internal communication system rather than through the exterior speakers built into their helmets. Whatever was going on, only the Betas were in on it. Given the breach in her helmet, she had to choose her words carefully, on the off chance one of the Marines was listening. "I take it this something is serious."

"Depending on how you look at it, it could be. Officially, this is no longer a SBURB military operation; this mission belongs to the R 'n' D cats who are chilling on LOHAC as we speak."

Rose glanced at the Troll without moving her helmet, a strange sensation of protective fear welling in her chest. SBURB- the entity created during the reformation of Human government in the years after the Reckoning- had very clear lines of power, most of the time. Military brass were in charge of the war effort and other departments supported them; that's just how it was. For the Research and Development Department to… essentially usurp a mission without giving a really good reason…

"I don't know what Doc Paint is thinking, she's been all hush hush and hanging around her shock troop bodyguards, but she's calling the shots on this operation. Granted, she might be a bit more forgiving than Commander Slick, but I don't think they're going to let you bring a Troll aboard without saying something."

She stepped closer to the other Beta, voice only slightly threatening. "This Troll saved my life, Dave."

Dave was quiet a moment, regarding the jade green armor lying in the middle of the drop bay before looking at her, expression hidden by his helmet. "It might also end it, Rose."

They said nothing after that, standing in silence as the pelican made its way to the LOHAC. Once, when their bodies felt new due to augmentation and they were just beginning to undergo combat training in earnest, there might've been another five minutes of bickering before they descended into silence or one of the others would interrupt. Rose almost felt wistful for those days when scenarios were easy and boring, when the limits of their abilities was something completely unexplored, when their limits with each other could be tested too, but there was something intensely soothing about being quiet, knowing that more was conveyed than actually put into words.

Dave didn't approve of her bringing a Troll back to the LOHAC but he wasn't about to turn on her either. Stubbornness ran strong in their family, especially when it came to deadly situations. Or just really shitty decision making- which, incidentally, also ran in their family. At the very least, she had one ally who wasn't about to abandon her over something as arguably stupid and impulsive as bringing a possibly dead alien with her.

As the pelican rocked back and forth from either turbulence or evasive flying, Rose was switching between various radio frequencies to pass the time, listening to the chatter long enough to ascertain the approximate situation before moving on.

Whatever shot down the LOLAR was either gone or out of commission and Dave hadn't been kidding when he said he brought a lot of friends. Despite the heavier resistance than anyone on the LOLAR was anticipating, the Humans were matching- perhaps even winning- the Troll in the battle below. Part of her itched to be fighting on the ground, wading through the enemies with her fellow Betas Jade and John; she could catch snatches of them on the radio either barking out orders or cracking jokes and laughing, as was their wont to do. They were always energetic and optimistic, the perfect compliments to her and Dave's pragmatism and reserved natures. When the four of them were together, though, Trolls fell in waves, outmatched as they moved as a single unit. Even a battery of Troll tanks wouldn't hold a candle to the four of them and she was sure the battle below would be over the moment she and Dave joined the fight beside John and Jade.

But then she looked at the possibly dead Troll and her gut clenched at the idea of leaving her to die on the planet's surface or in the hands of the Marines around her. To them, the Troll was the enemy, and they were eying the motionless armor like a giant, coiled snake preparing to strike. This was entirely unfamiliar territory; the war thus far hadn't been entirely conducive to the concept of prisoners of war and, often times, Trolls would fight to the last breath rather than submit as captives.

What was she going to do, anyway? If the Troll was dead, R and D could dissect the armor and produce some sort of upgrade in a few months' time. That, at least, she could pass off as a reasonable cause to bring the Troll with her but… it felt wrong. It certainly wasn't her intention- that unknown thing she still hadn't found a way to word- and it almost felt like a cruel outcome, even if the Troll was already dead. She supposed some sort of funeral would be appropriate, a farewell to a more than worthy opponent, a final show of respect. Considerably harder to justify, yes, but it would sate whatever compelled her to bring the Troll with her.

But if the Troll inside was alive, what then? Allow the Troll to heal- she owed the alien that much, at the least- but then what? Stick her in a drop pod and launch her into space, hope she was found by another Troll ship? What if she wasn't and ended up dying while drifting through space, starving to death as she waited to be rescued? That would be crueler than allowing her to bleed out on the planet below. All that was also assuming the Troll wouldn't begin ripping through whatever stood in her way once the healing process was complete; perhaps the whole scenario was a risky gambit to deal serious damage from within one of the Human ships. Unlikely, yes- Trolls always favored brute force over strategy- but still feasible.

Shit, she did not think this through.

Unable to stand listening to the radio chatter anymore, Rose reached up and removed her helmet, grimacing as she took in its state for the first time since the LOLAR crashed. There was a long crack that almost completely compromised the helmet's integrity reaching from the missing section of her visor all the way to the back. The lavender metal was faded- most likely tarnished from entering the atmosphere among burning wreckage- and there was a certain pang of loss in being forced into replacing it, seeing as she'd worn this particular helmet model since her first field mission.

Reaching up to touch her face, Rose winced as she pulled her hand away from the head wound she'd received when her visor broke. She'd suspected as much given the damage done to her helmet but, between the adrenaline of battle and her natural proclivity to ignore injuries, it was still something of a surprise to see red blood lightly coating her fingertips. If anything, she had grown accustomed to seeing brown and yellow more often than red and it was something of a shock to remember that Human blood only came in one color.

Her eyes drifted to the Troll again. Perhaps if she could understand the _why_ of the situation- why didn't the Troll simply crush her when it had the chance, why it gave her plenty of opportunities to attack, why it _saved her life_- maybe then she could put this anomaly behind her. That wasn't likely to happen, though, seeing as communication had yet to be formally opened between Humans and Trolls for whatever reason.

Perhaps, if nothing else, she owed the Troll a rematch, a chance for one of them to walk away with no one else interfering. Maybe that would settle it.

She could feel the pelican's flight path even out and slow as needed to dock on the LOHAC and started moving before the announcement to prepare for disembarking was made. She slung the Troll's arm over her shoulder and started heaving the thing up, her helmet hooked over her pistol for lack of a better place to keep it with her hands full as they were. Dave stood next to her, casually holding his rifle in one hand while the other kept tight on a strap secured to a pipe overhead; for all his love of piloting drop pods, the young man intensely disliked being the passenger, especially during landing and take-off.

Without her helmet to hide her expressions, Rose's face stayed carefully neutral, masking her amusement that Dave wasn't going to even offer to help her drag the Troll off the pelican, much less to the medical bay. She just hoped he remembered to grab the chainsaw.

As the drop door opened fully, however, that task became slightly more difficult. Twenty Marines stood or knelt just outside the pelican, weapons trained inside, snapping to Rose and the Troll the moment they came into view. At the center of the half circle stood an officer, most likely the Commander of the LOHAC, wearing the typical 'I don't play well with Betas' look all officers shared. He looked rough, much rougher than most SBURB officers, with livid white scars on his dark face that almost completely obscured one eye. Rather than the crisp dress uniform most officers wore, this one was in fatigues, just like the men surrounding him, holding a shotgun. While she could respect his rather direct approach, Rose wasn't too fond of anyone who pointed a weapon at her.

The moment he noticed her watching him, he gave the shotgun a hearty pump. Apparently, he meant business.

Great.

As Rose shifted her stance slightly, Dave stepped forward, carefully moving around the Marines that came with him. Surprisingly, they had their weapons raised too, not aimed towards Rose but, rather, at the Marines outside the pelican, with Dave between them. She hoped he knew what he was doing; shooting their way out was definitely low on her list of potentially survivable escape plans and a Mexican Standoff did a fantastic job of limiting the feasibility of most other plans.

"Hey, Commander. Mind moving those guys out of our way? Got a bit of a special delivery here." Dave jerked his head towards her, his tone casual; ironically, he seemed the most at ease with the situation out of everyone despite being the one standing at the wrong end of over thirty firearms.

The Commander growled, jabbing a finger at them. "Shove it, Strider, I'm sick of your Beta bullshit. This is where I draw the line: you will _not_ bring a Troll aboard my ship or I will plug your full of so much metal, we could use you as an anchor."

"I hate to be the one to burst your bubble," a familiar feminine voice rang out from the back of the hangar. "But that line's already been crossed, Commander Slick."

The Commander whirled, face contorting into a sneer that nearly shut his scarred eye as a scientist decked in the customary white lab coat made her way towards the pelican, a few of her compatriots trailing behind her. The voice and the unbelievably bright tint to her auburn hair identified the woman as none other than Doctor Paint, the same woman responsible for the Betas' outstanding abilities. Rose could pick out the others to some degree- she remembered their faces at least- but they were of little concern to her. More interesting were the shock troopers that accompanied the scientists; each sported unpersonalized versions of the latest Beta armor issued. Rose was aware that shock troopers were the happy median agreed upon by military brass, requiring extensive training but lacking physical augmentation, and even she had to grudgingly admit they were more competent than the average foot soldier. Still, when Dave had mentioned shock trooper bodyguards, Rose had imagined a handful at the most.

There were at least ten, not including the really short one that seemed to form the center of the circle protecting the scientists or the ones she could see at the edges of her vision making their way around the docking bay.

"The Hell did you say, Doctor Paint?" Commander Slick was angry, yes, but not so foolish as to direct his weapon towards the shock troopers, instead focusing his attention on Rose and the Troll.

"I'm certain you heard me," the Doctor replied, stopping short of the Marines preventing her from reaching the pelican. Her gaze, however, rested on the Commander, her voice stern. "If you'll recall, this is not your operation. You are to obey my orders and I am ordering you to lower your weapon and step aside."

"You sincerely expect me to step aside and allow the enemy onto _my_ ship?" Commander Slick turned his head, glaring at the Doctor who met his scrutiny with cool indifference before shifting her focus to Rose.

"Betas One-Two-Six, One-Two Five, why are you bringing that Troll onto the LOHAC?"

Anyone not familiar with Rose and Dave would associate the slight tensing with apprehension, the formal call signs as indicators the good Doctor was being severe with her creations, and see the whole situation as one of children being scolded by their mother. Virtually no one would think the Betas were trying their hardest not to laugh aloud, Doctor Paint was being sarcastic, and it was more akin to a reluctantly proud parent picking up their kids from the Principal's office after finishing a fight someone else started.

At least, that was the closest comparison Rose could imagine; she'd only read of such 'normal' growing pains shared by children and their parents.

"Because she saved my life, Ma'am," Rose replied, stepping forward and dragging the Troll with her into full view of those in the hangar, standing beside Dave as the Marines in the pelican flowed around them. Rose didn't understand the full situation on the LOHAC, but it appeared the men who went with Dave were more loyal to the Beta than their commanding officer.

Nearly everyone drew back in shock as they took in the monstrous Troll partially slung over Rose's shoulder.

"The Hell is that thing," the Commander grumbled, backing away slowly.

"I've certainly never seen this particular unit," Doctor Paint commented with wonder tinging her voice. Suddenly, one of the troopers- the short one in the middle who barely reached the Doctor's shoulder- moved forward, tugging on the Doctor's sleeve insistently. "What? Do you know this one?"

"How the Hell would a… Shock… Trooper…" The Commander's jaw dropped open as the trooper pulled off his helmet, revealing grey skin and wide yellow eyes, their pupils as red as Dave's armor. There was no mistaking it- there was a Troll wearing shock trooper armor standing in the middle of a bunch of Humans on a Human warship.

"And here I thought we were doing something special," Dave mumbled, apparently all too amused with the situation. "But no, everything's been done before, all creativity has died, and we're just diluted replicas of our parents, doomed to copy them in every capacity for the rest of our lives."

"Dave, now really isn't the time for your theatrics." Rose quietly directed her comment at the other Beta, trying her hardest not to find the evident shock plastered across every Marine's face amusing.

Suddenly, the Troll pushed forward, helmet hitting the ground with a soft thud as it fell from his hands. The rest of the troopers and the scientists followed closely, with Doctor Paint hardly half a step behind the short Troll.

The Troll started shouting something in his native tongue and, if Rose was judging by tone alone, it sounded a lot like he was berating the Troll slung across her shoulder in an unbroken slew of emphatic curses. He finally stopped just in front of her, arms crossed over his chest and glaring at the motionless armor, specifically the helmet, while his chest heaved.

"I'm not sure if she's alive," Rose clumsily offered but the Troll's only reaction was to look at her sharply a moment before he barked a laugh.

"Oh, she's fucking alive alright. She's harder to kill than any of those nookchaffing bulgelickers you're used to dealing with," the Troll replied before directing his gaze at the other Troll, saying something in his own language. Almost instantly, the weight she was holding up disappeared altogether as the jade green armor seemed to spring to life, standing on its own. Curiously, the Troll didn't remove its arm from around Rose's shoulders until she released the wrist in her grasp. "See?"

"Doctor Paint," the Commander started, apparently having regained his bearing. "Are you meaning to say we warped from Earth with an enemy spy onboard and you _knew_?"

"If he's a spy, he's in our employ, not the Trolls'," Doctor Paint replied calmly, crossing her arms over her chest while leaning forward to examine the green armor with a sense of wonder. "All the information we've used to combat the Trolls, we received from Karkat, and all the things we've been able to create with the alien technology has been thanks in large part to his efforts. He's been our greatest ally." She turned away from the Trolls to face Slick, flinging a hand out to indicate the planet below through the open hangar door. "Your troops are down there right now, striking a decisive blow against the Trolls, because _Karkat_ saw through the phony transmission Intel sent us." She leveled a severe glare at the Commander. "Had you shared that transmission when I originally asked, _before_ the LOLAR warped…"

The Commander clenched his jaw and said nothing. The Doctor didn't elaborate from there but Rose could guess. While the Marines around them seemed to connect the dots and throw the Commander somewhat angry looks, Rose couldn't blame him; sometimes, one must make a decision with the information available. Command was hard, especially during a war.

As if suddenly remembering something, the Troll- apparently named Karkat- turned towards the jade blood and began speaking rapidly. The armored Troll replied, speaking at length in a measured, controlled way that contrasted heavily with Karkat's rapid syllables. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose noticed the Troll was making small, jerking motions with her hands, as though she was accustomed to gesticulating while speaking but was restraining the compulsion. At a suitable break in their alien conversation, Karkat turned to Dr. Paint.

"Kanaya says Mindfang has been shifting all of her fucking forces to this side of the damned galaxy while trying to draw you Humans towards Alternia, hoping the forces here might slip in and destroy the Humans from behind or warp to Earth and destroy it," Karkat frowned, scratching idly at his temple. "The Spider Bitch's the only one doing that, though. She says that most of the high bloods aren't as cooperative with the Condence's plans as they used to be, big fucking surprise, and Dualscar is too caught up in some stupid fucking bullshit to put a stop to it. There's talk She might unleash the Vast Glub as a last ditch effort to eradicate the Humans and Trolls alike though, honestly, I don't think the Vast Glub will do anything to you fuckwads and it will just mean genocide for my race. There's also talk of several rebellions, aside from the one we already fucking know about, and not a damn one of them is doing shit aside from existing and perhaps covering our fucking tracks, so thank Gog for that."

Rose looked at the Troll she'd fought barely half an hour before. Apparently, her name was Kanaya. Furrowing her brows, Rose thought back to Karkat's original address to the armored Troll. He'd said something close to 'Kanaya' but with the peculiar accent of his own language that Rose doubted Human mouths could ever accurately imitate, which meant he'd converted the name for ease of understanding of his own accord.

That was rather considerate. Given his brash demeanor, Rose hardly believed this was something intrinsic to his character, rather a trait learned through constant exposure to an alien race.

Karkat turned back to Kanaya, concern evident on his face and in his tone, though it still held something of a harsh tone. The armored Troll sighed before replying, helmet tilting down at the end, almost in defeat.

For his part, Karkat appeared startled, hesitantly speaking and receiving only a shrug in response.

"Is something wrong, Karkat?" Doctor Paint asked, stepping closer to the short Troll as concern colored her voice.

"It's… Kanaya is a jade blood, which is a big fucking deal among Trolls. Their caste exists exclusively to tend to the creatures that formed a fucked up symbiotic relationship with us that we both depend on; without them, our race can't continue. So, it stands to reason that jades are probably one of the most important fucking castes in our fucked up society- damn near royalty."

"Whoa, hold up; if she's so important to your race, what the Hell is she doing out on the front lines?" Dave chimed in, crossing his arms over his chest. "Seems like some poor ass reverse psychology there."

"Congratulations, fuckass, you win the award for most obvious conclusion in the history of ever, now please go choke on a bulge so I can finish expounding the horrendous series of events that has brought us to this very moment in time. I'll even explain all the parts you don't _really_ need to know just to ensure your tiny, pathetic Human think pan can keep up, okay?" Karkat directed a heated glare at the Beta before continuing. "Her Imperious Condescension, the she-witch who rules over all Trolls, issued an order that unless a certain amount of conscripts joined the fight, she would destroy one of the outlying Troll colonies. Because I can't catch a fucking break ever, it just so happened to be my ancestor's colony, also known as the base of operations for the Signless Rebellion. Seeing as he's the fucking head of the Signless Rebellion and they're the ones that are feeding us as much information as they can sink their claws into, Kanaya and her Dancestor volunteered so the colony wouldn't be destroyed. Apparently, two jade bloods stepping into the war triggered a pretty impressive wave of enlistments, so the colony's safe for the time being."

"Well, that certainly explains why we haven't received a transmission from your counterparts in a while," Dr. Paint noted, looking Kanaya over. "Does she know how to contact them?"

Another exchange between the Trolls occurred while Rose eyed the assembled Humans. To their credit, most of them looked either interested or marginally apprehensive; only Commander Slick still wore a look of complete disdain for the impromptu cultural exchange.

In the back of her mind, she wondered how John and Jade were faring in the battle far below. Between the two of them, the Trolls hardly stood a chance, much less so with a company or two of Marines at their back.

"She cut communications the moment she opted to enlist, to protect the others." Karkat sighed, running a hand through his messy black hair while being mindful of his stubby horns. "So we're still fucked on trying to contact them. But I know my Ancestor; we have to take the silence as a good thing until we know more."

Dr. Paint nodded, turning her attention to Commander Slick. "You may return to the bridge, Commander, and the Marines may return to their posts. The battle below is perhaps the turning point of this war; if there is any intel to pass along, I'll be sure to send it to you."

The Commander ground his teeth together, veins protruding along his neck. "You're playing a dangerous game, Doctor."

"I'm quite aware but I take comfort in knowing my definition of victory is the survival of Humanity as we know it and that I won't settle for anything less. How do you define victory, Commander?"

Slick opened his mouth to retort but clicked it shut, obviously thinking better of his response. Casting a look around the bay, he leveled one last glare at Doctor Paint and the Trolls. "Mark my words, Doctor; if either of them even considers betraying us, I will put them down. Personally." He then turned his attention to the Marines assembled. "The rest of you, back to your stations. We have a war to win!"

A chorus of agreement answered him as Marines scurried away, some throwing glances towards the Trolls while others looked at her and Dave. Even those who had disembarked the pelican with them moved away, presumably looking for the next bird heading down to the battlefield that was nowhere near the scene playing out currently.

In the commotion Kanaya said something to Karkat, which surprised the smaller Troll. After a moment of confusion, he nodded and scrambled towards her as she knelt down. However, even kneeling the jade blood was taller and Karkat quickly huffed and turned his attention to Rose.

"Human, can you follow simple fucking instructions for a moment?" He blinked, as if remembering something belatedly. "Please?"

Rose nodded, stepping towards Kanaya and listening to Karkat. Apparently, the jade blood needed assistance removing her armor and Karkat couldn't quite reach the controls. She found a small button on the underside of Kanaya's helmet that, once pressed, resulted in clicking and whirring as mechanisms released. The helmet, which previously looked like a single unit, separated into two portions which Rose carefully pulled away to reveal the face of her former adversary.

The horns mimicked the helmet- or, rather, the other way around, technically- with one hooked at the top while the other curved gently to a point, dark orange at the bottom lightening to yellow at the tips like every other Troll Rose had seen. Her thick black hair was styled like a pixie cut, oddly neat given the widespread lack of Troll grooming standards, and her skin was… glowing, slightly. Was Troll skin supposed to glow? Either way, the glowing wasn't even the part Rose was focused on- it was her eyes, piercing jade green, identical to the shade of her armor, set in golden sclera that met her gaze with something… respect, perhaps? Gratitude? Black lips curved into a gentle smile, punctuated by the tips of two gleaming white fangs resting on her lower lip, and Rose couldn't remember seeing such a… familiar expression on a Troll before. Friendly, a greeting of some sort.

It suddenly struck Rose how strange it was to see an enemy as something other than… well, an enemy. Enemies had always been _things_ in the Beta's mind, obstacles she needed to pass or destroy in order to achieve her objective. To put a face, a name, emotions to some_one_ she'd tried to kill was… strange. On some level, she had accepted the fact that war required the deaths of many sentient beings but… getting to know someone she'd had every intention of killing not a whole lot of time previous to this revelation was unsettling.

Kanaya said something, mouth and tongue tracing strange syllables and it was a little distracting until Karkat spoke up.

"She says there's another button up there to release her from the suit. Think you can find it?"

Rose nodded, not trusting her voice as her mind continued to race. With effort, she shunted the thoughts to the side; now was not the time to question her every action. War demanded difficult choices and harsh actions and it wasn't over yet. She had to focus on that.

The control panel for the suit was easy enough to find, tucked away behind Kanaya's neck. It took a few tries to find the right button but once she did, hydraulics wheezed and the armor began to break open like an egg, all the while Karkat fussed with removing the modular plating covering his left forearm.

Kanaya's armor was nothing like the Betas' though; it was an entity unto itself. Rose backed away a few steps, allowing the thing to open each segment that had protected its operator. The forearms and legs opened, but only the sections closest to the torso, as the lower legs and arms were entirely mechanical extensions that lent height and reach to the Troll within. Kanaya was no differently proportioned than any other Troll and, though she was still tall in comparison to Karkat, she had only an inch or two on Rose. She was also nowhere near as thickset as the armor had implied, though Rose had no doubt her slender form was pure, lean muscle beneath the jade colored, skin tight jumpsuit, more than capable of besting a normal Human in a contest of strength.

As he stepped up beside her, Dave crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, she's pretty hot, for an alien babe."

Rose quickly elbowed him in the gut for that remark, rolling her eyes. "Inappropriate, Dave."

"I'm just sayin' what you're thinkin'," he replied, voice tinged with amusement.

"Now is not the time for your antics."

"Nice deflection."

Before she could turn to him, the armored portion encircling Kanaya's neck peeled away, taking with it the seal Rose had applied. With the wound ripped open anew, Kanaya growled, nearly falling out of the suit while clutching at her neck, jade green spilling between her fingers. Rose was moving in the same instant, trying to catch the Troll, but Karkat was closer and merely raised his unprotected forearm. Rose watched as Kanaya bit into Karkat's arm and knelt down so the shorter Troll wouldn't have to hold his arm up, slightly dumbfounded as she came to a stop beside the two.

"No reason to fucking panic, Human; she's just a little injured, damn near starved, and fucking tired. And before you fucking ask, no, for fuck's sake, not all Trolls feast on blood. Kanaya's a… fuck," Karkat growled, wincing slightly as the other Troll released him, covering her mouth with one hand. Unsurprisingly, Karkat's blood was as vibrant as his eyes and could almost pass for Human blood if one disregarded the grey skin. "What are those things fucking called… vampire! Right, she's the Troll equivalent of your stupid Human vampires. It's a jade blood thing and not every jade blood becomes a Rainbow Drinker, so they're super fucking rare, okay? She's not dangerous or anything; it's just how they survive and she's had to hide it for a few sweeps so she's mostly in control. Just, ya know, see the earlier point about her being fucking starved. She usually doesn't take this much."

"Understood," Rose nodded, looking down at the kneeling Troll. Kanaya was taking deep breaths and shuddering, perhaps the Troll equivalent of an adrenaline dump, but there was no more fresh jade blood spilling from the wound. Seeing as this was probably her only chance, Rose decided to find the answer to the question burning in her mind. "Karkat, would you translate something for me please?"

Karkat raised a brow, rubbing his forearm absently; the wounds had already closed, probably a mechanic of the bite seeing as most low bloods tended to bleed out rapidly when wounded. "Sure, Human. What is it?"

Rose looked at the shorter Troll then back to Kanaya. "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance? Why did you actively save my life, nearly at the expense of your own?"

"She really saved your life, huh?" Karkat blinked. "Why the fuck does it matter to you?"

"Because I don't know and I don't understand," Rose replied automatically, stringing words together with the ease of a wordsmith. Even as she said them, she wondered if she was being honest, if she was actually putting into words the conflicting thoughts jumbled around her brain. "If there's ever to be peace between Trolls and Humans, we should endeavor to understand each other. To that end, this is a prime opportunity, and I'm not one to let such instances go to waste."

It sounded good, at the very least.

"You're a soldier, Beta, not a poet," Commander Slick groused, having lingered despite Doctor Paint's recommendation, but Karkat instantly shot him a venomous glare.

"She's a better example of your pathetic race than you are, fuckass." The Troll bared his small, slightly pointed teeth in a snarl. "I might be willing to help you nookchaffers fight the Trolls but I'm not concerned with the survival of your species. I want the Condense dead and the cycle of needless war and death to end; neither of those specifically include the continuation of the Human race." Karkat jerked his head towards Rose. "Her, at least, I like, mainly because she's brought my moirail somewhere safe but also because she's not insufferably thick skulled."

"Does that extend to me?" Dave chimed in. "We're practically siblings, dude. And I'm kinda a huge fan of living but that's, ya know, just a footnote."

"Shove it, fuckwit."

"I'm going to take that as an improvement over 'fuckass' and call it a win."

Rose turned her head slightly. "Dave, please be a dear and do shut the Hell up."

The other Beta shrugged, apparently acquiescing to her request. She could only imagine what he was muttering to himself within the sanctuary of his helmet but, Dave being Dave, he didn't take it to heart. He just had a decidedly odd way of… befriending others.

Betas were never given proper training in social skills.

Satisfied Dave wouldn't interrupt, Karkat turned, apparently translating her questions and garnering Kanaya's attention. Those jade eyes raised to meet her gaze as the Troll stood up. It was strange for Rose to look up at anyone; all the Betas were roughly the same height and they stood head and shoulders above most Humans. Stranger still was staring up at someone she couldn't understand but somehow getting an idea of what was said just by looking at those intense, expressive, but utterly alien eyes.

"She says she wasn't trying to kill you because she didn't want to; you're a symbol among Trolls and it's important you stay alive."

She was important. That was a first. "What do I symbolize?"

"Ruthless superiority," Karkat replied, gesturing to her. "Because of the color of your armor, you're considered the alien equivalent of the Grand Highblood, leader of the Subjuggulators, a caste in Troll society historically known for their murderous tendencies. In most Troll media, the majority of casualties in the war thus far are attributed to you. I guess the aim is to make it look like only one alien is competent enough to kill Trolls en masse, but it's actually convinced most of the lowbloods that you're damn near immortal and hell bent on killing every Troll in the universe. Plus, the Grand Highblood isn't the highest on the hemospectrum or the hardest to kill or even the most dangerous; through Troll logic, that means there's someone higher than you on the Human side who is just sitting back and waiting and that _terrifies_ most lowbloods."

Rose gave the shorter Troll a surprised glance but returned her gaze to Kanaya. "So my continued existence is purely related to the psychological implications my death would have on the war?"

After Karkat translated her response, Kanaya raised one arm to rub at her neck absently, allowing Rose to notice the wound that had started bleeding again not two minutes before was already almost healed. She found herself thankful that alien vampires were extremely rare and the one she happened to attack didn't seem to hold a grudge.

Kanaya let her arm drop with a bit of a sigh, shrugging as she spoke to Karkat, curiously avoiding anyone's gaze and keeping her own focused on the helmet hanging on Rose's hip. Whatever she said, it caused Karkat to sputter and stamp his foot, his voice rising in volume until it was almost painful. A response from Kanaya calmed him down but he didn't turn his attention to Rose until after he'd slapped a hand to his face and released a long suffering sigh.

"Of all the stupid, fatally optimistic, shit-brained bovine feces-" Karkat growled, drawing his hand down his face to regain his composure. "She says it's part of the reason. The other part- I can't believe I'm fucking saying this- is because her armor was specifically designed to withstand the most powerful Troll weaponry; after the destruction of your ship, your armor was severely damaged and looked like it was barely holding together. She didn't think it was a fair fight."

Rose frowned and spoke before thinking about her reply. "That's a little silly. War is never fair, ours less so."

"Oh for the love of- yes, thank you, that is _exactly_ what I said!" Karkat replied, appeared to think it over, then corrected himself. "Okay, maybe I wasn't so nice to call it 'silly'- more like fucking stupidity at its absolute worst- but more or less the same. Hold on."

Kanaya's lips drew back in a slight snarl as Karkat translated, showcasing those two prominent fangs that were mostly concealed not but a moment prior amid smaller but, still dangerously sharp, teeth. Compared to Karkat, the display was far more intimidating to the average Human, akin to watching a predator prepare to strike. Kanaya suddenly drew up to her full height and stepped towards Rose until they were toe-to-toe.

She could hear Dave's armor clicking as he tensed and felt the air in the bay suddenly thicken with anticipation but Rose didn't dare move. Somehow, she understood this wasn't a display of aggression but one of anger and frustration; Kanaya wasn't going to attack her.

She almost didn't need Karkat to translate.

"This is not _my_ war, she says, and she never asked to be put in a position where she was holding someone's life in her hands." His voice sounded just as frustrated as Kanaya looked. "Like any of us asked for this."

"Dave, lower your weapon." Dr. Paint's voice was firm and controlled.

"Not until she backs the Hell off Rose," came his terse reply.

"I warned you, Paint."

"All of you knock it off," Rose said, her eyes never leaving the Troll in front of her. Karkat quickly rasped something to Kanaya but Rose could already see his efforts were in vain. Her eyes glazed over, open but unseeing, before closing as the Troll sagged forward. Rose caught her, already familiar with the dead weight of the Troll when encased in armor and thankful she wasn't nearly as heavy out of it. "I was never in any danger."

"The Hell you weren't," Dave muttered, lowering his rifle.

"She already had plenty of chances to kill me, Dave, and she almost did when she _wasn't _trying to kill me," Rose replied, settling the Troll's weight more comfortably against her. "If she wanted me dead, there's little any of us could do to stop her."

"She's worse than I thought," Karkat mumbled, moving forward to check on Kanaya. Rose, meanwhile, looked between Dave and Commander Slick, the former appearing relieved while the latter almost disappointed. "She needs rest. I'll have to take her back to my respiteblock for her to recover."

"Lead the way," Rose said, already slinging one limp arm over her shoulder. Before Karkat could protest, Rose bent down and scooped Kanaya's legs into her other arm. "I sincerely doubt you could carry her on your own but it's no trouble for me."

Karkat growled something before relenting. "Yeah, fuck, fine. Follow me."

As the short Troll turned back towards the corridor, Rose looked back at Dave who simply waved her off.

"Yeah, I know. You'd think I'd be a little more used to you throwing yourself into imminent danger by this point but no, I have to react every time like a damn broken record."

Rose smirked. "I think you just can't let a chance to be the white knight pass you by, dearest brother."

"Saw that coming. Look, I'm going down and help Jade and John, not like I was doing you much good here anyway," Dave replied, checking his rifle. "Don't spend too long exploring the benefits of multiculturalism, okay?"

"I'll join you soon, Dave." Rose started after Karkat, who was watching her with thinly veiled unease. As she made it to the corridor, Dr. Paint fell into step beside her, the shock troopers following as silently as their armor would allow. Rose couldn't help but notice it was at least twice as loud as any Beta would move.

"You always have the strangest luck when it came to your decisions, Rose. I'm glad this one panned out so well."

"I'm not sure if being on the wrong end of several firearms in a Mexican Standoff qualifies as 'well' Ma'am," Rose replied.

"As opposed to, what, waltzing into the Med Bay without anyone casting so much as a curious glance? Come now, Rose; you're lucky but you're hardly what one would call an optimist." Doctor Paint shook her head, a bemused smile on her lips. "Doubtless you'll make good on your promise to Dave. LOHAC and LOLAR use the same internal design so, once you're done with helping Karkat, go to the armory. I'm still working on the next upgrade for your armor but I happen to have a previous model on hand. It should do for now."

"It sounds almost like you were expecting me to find trouble on this mission."

"Rose, please," Paint laughed, running a hand through her hair. "Of all the Alphas and Betas, you're by far the most destructive on the battlefield; if I had a Beta for every time I've had to replicate your suit, I'd have an army all my own by now. I suppose I should be grateful this particular model made it back in mostly one piece."

Rose laughed quietly. "You're never going to let me live down that 'Green Sun' incident, are you?"

As they came to a cross section, Doctor Paint split off with her troopers following, calling over her shoulder as she went. "That's what mothers are for, Rose."

Rose turned the response over in her mind a few times before pushing it aside; she would have to analyze it later. At the moment, she had a somewhat irritable alien casting worried glances at her as they delved deeper into the heart of the LOHAC. Karkat appeared far more concerned now than he had earlier, his brisk walk and hunched shoulders speaking volumes. Rose couldn't quite place where the anxiety stemmed from- he hadn't seemed too anxious when confronted with his friend bleeding but he did mention she was worse off than he thought while, on the other hand, perhaps her presence was upsetting him. While she rarely cared for such matters- she could never claim to be the best liked of the Betas- Doctor Paint seemed to hold the alien in high regard, which prompted at least an attempt from her to smooth things over in the event there's cause for concern.

"I hope I'm not causing you any distress," Rose started, not entirely certain of how one was supposed to put an alien spy at ease.

"It's not you, Human," Karkat grumbled, looking over his shoulder again. "I'm just not used to seeing Kanaya… injured. It pisses me off she got drug into this fucking war and I didn't even know about it. Some moirail I am."

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the term." Rose tilted her head to the side slightly as Karkat slowed to a stop, running a hand through his short hair while being mindful of his nubby horns. "What does 'moirail' mean?"

"There's no direct translation into your fucking language. The closest Paint and I have come to defining it is 'platonic life partners' but even that… I dunno, I guess it's decent for a fucking alien approximation but it doesn't… feel right." He shook his head before setting off again, walking a little faster than before. "Moirails are an important part of Troll romance."

Romance? "I thought you said-"

"Jeez, let me fucking finish, okay?" Karkat growled, sighing in exasperation. "Our version of romance consists of both reproductive and platonic relationships, divided into four quadrants. The short version is: moiraillegiance is a platonic relationship centered on positive emotions, specifically designed to keep Trolls from self-destructive habits and situations. It's complimented by an auspistice, which is a Troll who steps in to keep hate based relationships from becoming one-sided and destructive to the other party. They are the platonic quadrants while the reproductive quadrants- matespritship and kismessitude- are to ensure our fucked up society continues."

Rose blinked, stepping through a hatch two steps behind the short Troll. "That sounds very complicated."

He laughed, the sound tinged with the growling rasp of his voice. "It is but, in all fucking honesty, it makes more sense to me than having only one partner that serves all those purposes. I mean, fuck, how confusing would that be?" He shook his head again and raised his hands in a parody of surrender. "I've tried watching your Human rom-coms but it just seems to cause more problems than anything."

She smirked, raising a skeptical brow. "Those probably aren't the best points of reference."

"Oh? Do you have any firsthand fucking experience?" He looked over his shoulder just in time to catch her look of surprise.

With a cough to clear her throat, Rose shrugged as best she could while carrying Kanaya. "… Well, no, actually. Warzones are not typically conducive to stable relationships."

"Yeah, I know, trust me. Neither does anyone else I talk to and, thus, I am left to wallow in the woefully uninspiring tales of hornless aliens who can't get their shit together." He barked out another laugh. "Story of my life."

"I'm afraid that's part of the Human condition. There's no escape from it."

"I wouldn't say that." Karkat mumbled as he stopped in front of an unassuming door in the middle of a hallway. "Here, this is my respiteblock." Rose quirked a brow- she would've expected at least a posted guard given the nature of the room's resident- but stepped in without hesitation after he palmed the door open. "You and that red asshole seem to have a healthy moiraillegiance."

"What makes you say that?" she asked as she followed him to the far corner of the room where a strange little tub was set up. Inside was a green goo she'd encountered a couple times before, refreshing her memory of other tub-like constructs filled with the stuff in various rooms of Troll ships or buildings. "I realize this may seem asinine but are you sure this is safe?"

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Just ease her in. Please. It's harmless; sopor slime helps us sleep without having daymares." Rose nodded and shifted Kanaya so she could ease the unconscious Troll into the slime. Karkat helped and, between the two of them, Kanaya was settled up to her chin the tub. It was a bit of a tight fit and probably not comfortable but Karkat assured her it was the best they could do for the time being. As she stepped away, the Troll continued his thought from before. "I mean your interaction earlier. You actually fucking listen to each other, and when you were threatened, he stepped up to defend you, and you kept him from doing something stupid to protect him. Moiraillegiance is about balancing your needs and safety with someone else's, keeping them calm when dangerous situations arise, and generally looking out for each other." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Someone with a shitty moirail in the same situation? One of you two idiots would be dead right now, if not both."

Rose nodded slowly, processing the information. It was strange trying to imagine her relationship with Dave from an alien's perspective but, well, it didn't _change_ anything. It was just a new angle to consider. "For what it's worth, I think you're a very good moirail." She met his surprised gaze steadily. "You revealed yourself in the middle of a room primed to explode in gunfire to ensure her safety. When Dave drew his weapon, you remained calm, keeping the situation from escalating. If it wasn't for your actions, Kanaya might very well be dead. Or at the very least, shoved out the airlock by the illustrious Commander."

Karkat tapped at his arm with one finger, lips pressed in a hard line. If Troll facial expressions were anything like humans- and she supposed there was the added factor Karkat spent the past few years surrounded by humans- she would take the gestures to mean he was being hypercritical of himself within his head. She could relate to that thought process. Finally, he cracked a small smile, looking at Kanaya's resting form. "Guess you have a point there."

There was silence for a moment and Rose thought about rejoining Dave and the others. She was unwilling to depart just yet, though, and decided to buy herself some time. "Will she be alright?"

"With time. Kanaya's tough; she just needs some rest. And blood, at some point I'm sure, but I'll worry about that later." Karkat sighed, running a hand through his hair. When he looked up, his red eyes bore into her, sincerity bringing the orbs into sharper relief against the yellow of his sclera. "Rose Human… thanks. For bringing Kanaya here alive."

Rose nodded, offering him a slight smile.

He tilted his head to the side. "You asked why she didn't kill you… now I wonder why you didn't kill her." He jabbed a finger at her. "And don't give me any of that 'I couldn't if I tried' bullshit just because you came out of that crash looking like death warmed over. I've been listening to Paint long enough to know you Betas could dismantle the universe itself if you were determined enough."

"You're right; I had ample means and opportunity when she was defenseless," Rose admitted freely, crossing her arms over her chest. "Call it intuition. Sometimes, I have these impulses to do things. I don't know where they come from or why, but I follow them. To date, they haven't led me down a path I didn't want to walk." She stepped closer to the tub, eyes on Kanaya as she continued. "It's almost like there's something in me that knows what's best for me, better than my conscious mind. And that part of me said to help her, not kill her." Her gaze lingered a moment longer before shifting to Karkat. "I listened to it."

"Even when it was a patently bad idea?"

Rose shrugged. "You said you want an end to this war. I do too. And after this war is over, I want to be able to live with the decisions I've made." Rose sighed and turned towards the door. "Even when everything else is muddled as Hell… at least my conscience will be clear."

Karkat nodded slowly as Rose made to leave. Just as the door open, he called out to her, approaching with helmet in hand. She noticed he'd grabbed it before they left the hanger but hadn't thought much of it. "Here, take this." He fiddled with something in the rear port- where A.I. were typically housed for Betas and Alphas- and pulled free a chip, handing it over to Rose.

"What is it?"

"It's a translation program. Paint and I designed it so I could communicate with the other humans and understand what the fuck they were saying before I learned your pathetic language. When you access it, just switch the input and output languages," Karkat said, motioning over his shoulder. "Kanaya will want to talk to you once she recovers. Be prepared for lots and lots of rambling. She means well; she just doesn't know when to shut the fuck up sometimes. Most of the time."

Rose chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." Stepping into that hall, Rose started for the armory, allowing her mind to focus on the combat happening far below. Her friends- her family- needed her.

She shouldn't keep them waiting.

/end of mission/

Author's Note: So, I'm a huge Halo fan, if you couldn't tell. Essentially, this was spawned from my favorite of the _Halo Legends_ segments, _The Babysitter,_ (even though that was a Brute the Spartan was fighting whereas Kanaya's armor draws heavily from the Hunter armor as it appears in the games) as the fight sequence in that segment is by far my favorite part of the Halo universe. Hope you liked it! Oh, and this is not listed as a crossover because, to my mind, a crossover requires a certain amount of knowledge of both universes and appearances from characters of both universes. I tried to write this so one doesn't need to know much about _Halo_ to get the gist.


End file.
